Gone Home

Gone Home

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Has there ever been a game that has just a player completely be surprised as 'Gone Home?' That is unlikely. This little title was made as modded gaming environment from the Amnesia engine and released for PCs on the Steam Network, 'Gone Home' captures the true emotion of humans finding out who they really are.

Kate or Katie arrives home after traveling throughout Europe. Though she does cut her trip home a lot sooner then expected, she arrives at a completely deserted house. At first, the atmosphere of the game is one of latent dread. Though ti is not presented as a horror game, the player has a strange sense of unease while walking through the darker parts of home. Kate must go around and turn on the lights in each of the 'four' floors of the house in order to find objects and notes on slowly put together where and what has taken place in her home.

Exploration is at the heart of this game. Depending on how long the player wishes to its about a three to four search about, slowly painting each member of the family in a different light. Sam, the younger sister, seems to be the one who came and went, her lined paper letters scattered throughout the house. The house is in a state of construction rather then completely deserted. Apparently the parents are on a type of vacation, leaving the house in the care of the younger daughter until Kate walked through the door. Well, stories do not wait for characters to step onto the right twist. It turns out that Sam has followed her own heart is out there in the world fulfilling her desires. Secrets about the house and the parents lives are hidden around, all one needs to do is pick up the correct book and turn it over or open the right drawer.

All of this clue collecting leads to a surprising and heart-tugging ending that I will not spoil. Give this one a try for yourselves.

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Having been raised on Mortal Kombat and Super Mario, English undergrad Kara Robinson has been gaming and writing since childhood. The worlds and buttons of the consoles gave life to the sprawling battlegrounds and relationships that would bloom into her fiction and narratives. Whether it's the right title to play with a significant other or the spell that saves a character's life, this gamer chick knows the media in its forms. You may contact Kara with your comments and questions.